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Giant sunspot 978 hasn't exploded yet, but it is seething with activity. Witness this video recorded by Gary Palmer of Los Angeles on Dec. 11th:
"There is a magnetic filament that seems to leapfrog over the leading spot," he points out. "Isn't Mother Nature wonderful!"
Sunspot 978 continues to grow: movie. It now covers an expanse of Sun about as wide as the planet Jupiter, making it a fine target for backyard solar telescopes (Palmer used a Coronado SolarMax90). It has also developed a "beta-gamma" magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.
Will it erupt? Stay tuned!
So far, sunspot 978 poses little threat for strong solar flare and since the sun is in the lowest ebb (solar minimum) of its 11-year cycle
Originally posted by Sator
Btw, what is the small blue dot in the lower left corner of the picture?
Over a five-day stretch (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4, 2007) SOHO observed two remarkably similar coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The first one blew out to the right from the Sun as a familiar arch- shaped, bulbous CME. Just four days later another, slightly larger, CME headed out to the right in just about the same direction and similarly shaped. With the Sun being near its minimum period of activity, it was a little surprising to see two CMEs in this short a span of time.
So far, sunspot 978 poses little threat for strong solar flare and since the sun is in the lowest ebb (solar minimum) of its 11-year cycle
With the Sun being near its minimum period of activity, it was a little surprising to see two CMEs in this short a span of time.
Power systems: weak power grid fluctuations can occur.
Spacecraft operations: minor impact on satellite operations possible.
Other systems: migratory animals are affected at this and higher levels; aurora is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine)**.